Loose-leaf binder



Jan. 8, 1929. A. RUBIN LOOSE LEAF BINDER Filed June 11, 1927 A7- TOR/V5715 Patented Jan. 8, 1929.

stares FFE'EO ADOLPH RUBIN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO SIEBER' FRGDUCTS MANU- FACTURING CGIJIPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, M.

ISSOUBI, A CORPORATION (3F IIIISSOURI.

LOOSE-LEAF BINDER.

Application filed June 11,

This invention relates to loose leaf binders of the type that comprise two opposed leafclamping members or jaws between which the bundle of leaves is interposed, and a plurality of rigid postson oneof saidleaf-clamping means for detachably connecting the posts to the leaf-clamping member arranged in opposed relation to the leaf-clamping member that carries the posts, s'a1dmeans conslsting of individual looks or retaining devices carried by the leaf-clamping member to which the posts are detachably connected and constructed so that they can be moved easily into locking engagement with the posts.

Another ob 'ect is to provide a loose leaf binder of the kind referred to in which the leaf-clamping member that carries the locks or retaining devices for the posts, is combined with the back of the binder in such a way that it will be sure to move into operative relationship with the posts when the leaf-clamping members are moved into opposed relationship to clamp the leaves to J. gether. V

And still another obj ect is to provide aloose the other in its inoperative position.

' Figure 3 is a plan view of the parts shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 1s a longitudinal sectional view of the binder, taken on theline 4:t of Figure 2, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Figure 5 is an enlarged transverse sectional view, taken on the line 55 of Figure 2, looking in the direction'indicated by the-arrows. Figure 6 is a perspective view of one of the post-locks or retaining devices.

1927. Serial No. 198,230.

Figure ti -is a perspective view of said postv lock before ithas been bent in the operation of mounting it on the leaf-clamping memher on which it slides; and

Figure 7 is an enlarged side elevational view of a portion ofthe leaf-clamping memher on which said post-lock slides.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate the preferred form of my inventioniA designates the back of the binder which is prefer ably composed of a piece of sheet-metal curved slightly in transverse cross-section as shown in Figures 1 and 5. B designates the covers of the binder, usually formed from pieces stiff cardboard or other suitable materi a1 oined by flexible devices to the back A.

C and C designate two leaf-clamping members or jaws that are hinged to the back A and D designates av plurality of posts rigidly connected to the leaf-clamping member C and adapted to be insertedthrough holes in the leaves in confined between the leaf-clamping members C and C. of the binder.

The posts 1) are provided at their upper ends with annular grooves 1 and the leafclamping member 0 is provided in its outer edge or free edge with open-ended notches 2 for receiving the grooved portions of the posts a 1) when the leaf-clamping members of the b nder are arranged 1n opposed relationship, as shown in Figure 5, the notches 2 being so arranged that the reduced portions of the posts, produced by the grooves ly will fit in said notches and the heads 3 of the posts will lap over the outer side of the leaf-clamping member C, and thus prevent said member that are slidingly mounted on the leaf-clamping member C. The post-locks E can be constructed iii-various ways without departing from the spirit'of my invention, but they are preferably slidingly mounted on the leafclamping member C and are providedwith retaining portions 4 that. are adapted tobe,

moved into overlapping relationship with the i grooved end portions of the posts D,.sO las, to prevent the posts from.pulling'upwardlyj out of the notches 2 in the leaf-clampingmemberC. Each of the post-locks E pref I era-bly comprises a, substantially channelthe device E from moving upwardly.

' shaped portion 5 at one end of the retaining portion 4 that embraces the leaf-clamping member C, the side legs of said channelshaped portion 5 being disposed at'a slight angle to each other, as shown in Figure 6, so as to exert sufiiient frictional pressure on the leaf-clamping member C to hold the device in adjusted position. The retaining portion 4 of the device is hollow so that it will surround horizontally-disposed guides 6 and 6 on the leaf-clamping member G arranged at opposite sides of the notch 2. When the postdock E is in its inoperative position, as shown at the left of Figure 3, the hollow postret'aining portion 4 of said device will surround only the guide 6. When said device E is moved longitudinally of the leaf-clamping member 0 into its operative position, shown at the right'of Figure 8, the hollow portion 4 on said device will telescope over the guide men the leaf-clamping member C, and accordingly, will securely hold the post C with which it cooperates and prevents said post from moving upwardly out of the notch 2.

-The' retaining portion 4 of the locking device E is'ofsuch length that when said device is arrangedinits'operative position, said portion 4 will bridge the notch 2 and will embrace the-two guides 6 and 6 at opposite sides of said notch. It is immaterial, so far as my broad idea is concerned, how the post-lock E is constructed, but I prefer to form the hollow post retaining portion 4 of the device in such a way that it can be slipped down-' wardly over the upper edge of the. leafclamping member 0 and then bent from the position shown in ignre 6 into the position shown in Figure 6, so asto cause the two side'pieces of said portion to embrace the leaf clamping member G, and a flange 7 on oneof said side pieces'to project inwardly intoa horizontal slot 6 under. the two guides 6 andG -onthe member C, the flange 7 cooperating with the guides 6 and 6 to prevent At one end ofthe device E is a finger piece 8 that the operator grasps to move said device. A postretaining device E of the construction above described will remain in the position into which it has been moved, due to the fact that the side legs of the channel-shaped portion 5' of same securely grip the leaf-clamping member C; it is easy to apply, and as it comprises a hollowportion 4 that embraces either one or both of the guides 6 and 6 on the member C, it cannot become accidentally disengaged from said member.

Theleafclamping members C and C are hinged to the back A preferably by integral 7 eyes or the like on theback A which receive 7 -pmt1'e portions onthe leaf-clamping members. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the leafclamping member O is provided at its'inner' edge with two horizontallydisposed pintle portlons which are produced by open-ended slots 9 formed-in the edge of said'member C. The back A is provided with two integral eyes 10 that are adapted to be combined with the pintle portions 9 of the member C by inthe back A, is bent laterally into an open ended notch 12 in the inner edge of the leaf clamping member 0, sons to prevent said member C from moving longitudinally of the back A in a direction to disengage the eyes 10 from the pintle portions 9. A similar means is usedto hinge or connect the leafclamping member C to the other edge of the back A, except that the hinges between the member C and the back A are so constructed i that when the binder is open, shown in Figure 1, the leafclamping member C will be maintained in such a position that when said leaf-clamping member is swung to the left, looking at Figure 1, to cause the grooved portions of the posts D to enter the openended notches 2 in the member C, said meniber C-will be sure to line up properly-with the grooves 1 in the posts D. In other words, instead of providing the back with circular eyes similar to the eyes 10 which are of such diameter that they can turn freely on pintle devices on the leaf clamping member, 1 pro vide the back with substantially flat eyes 13 that embrace pintle portions 14 on the mem ber C which are of only slightly less thick-- ness than the width of the eyes 13, the pin tle portions 14 being similar to the pintle portions9 on the other leaf-clamping member. After the eyes 18"on the back A have been inserted in the open-ended notches 14 in the edge of the leaf-clamping member G, said member is moved longitudinally of the back 7 so as to cause the pintle portions 14 to enter the eyes 13, thus causing the leaf-clamping member C to be hinged to the back A in such away that it is capable of a slight rocking movement relatively to said back, but will be maintained in a positionatsubstam tially right-angles to the back when the binder is open, and consequently, will line up properly with the grooves 1 in the posts D when the leaf-clamping member 0 is I moved laterally into opposed relationship With the leaf-clamping member C. After the eyes 13 on the backhave been engaged with the pintle portions 14 on the leaf-clamping member C, a projection 11 on the back is bent laterally irto an open-ended" notch 12 in the leaf-clamping member C so as to lock the parts A and C together or prevent them from moving longitudinally of each other in a direction to withdraw the pintle portions 14 from the eyes 13, It is, of course, obvious that any desired number of pintle hinge or pivotally connect the leaf-clamping portions and cooperating eyes can be used to members C and C to the back A, and that any other means than the cooperating project-ions 11, 11 and notches .12 and 12 can be used to prevent relative longitudinal movement between the back and the leafclamping members after the eyes and the pintle portions on said elements have been engaged with each other.

A loose leaf binder of the construction above described can be manufactured at a low cost, due to the fact that the back A and leaf-clamping members C and C can be constructed from sheet-metal by simple stamping operations, or by the use of suitable dies; the leaf-clamping members can be combined quickly and easily with the back A of the, binder; the back A can be coveredwith'cloth,

leather or any other material, such as is generally used to encase the backs of loose leaf binders pr1or to the operation of JOlIllIlg' the leaf-clamping members to the back; the posts D of the binder can be attached quickly and easily to the leaf-clamping member due to the fact that a separate post-lock or retaining device E is provided for each post, and another desirable feature of such a binder is that the leafclamping member C will assume such a position when the binder is open that the open-ended notches 2 in said member will move into operative relationship with the grooved portions of the posts in the operation of closing the binder, the hinges between the leaf-clamping member C and the back A being of such form that the leaf-clamping member C cannot swing downwardly into a position at the rear edges of the leaves on the posts D after the binder has been opened to facilitate the insertion or removal of the leaves.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: i

1. A loose leaf binder, comprising leafclamping members, posts rigidly attached to one of said leaf-clamping members and provided with grooved portions that are adapted to be positioned in notches in the other leafclamping member, and individual retaining devices for said posts slidingly mounted on the notched leafclamping member and adapted to be moved into engagement with the grooved portions of said posts.

2. A loose'leaf binder, comprising leafclamping members, a post carried by-one of said leaf-clamping members, a notch in the other leaf-clamping member adapted to receive the end portion of said post, a retaining device for said post slidingly mounted on said notched leaf-clamping member and provided with a substantially channel-shaped ortion that embraces and snu l 1 ri 5 said leaf-clamping member, and a aart on said retammg device that isadapted to be arranged crosswise of said notch so as to hold retaining device that is adaptedto be arranged crosswise of said notch so as to hold. said post 111 engagement with sald notched leaf-clamping member, sa1d retaming devlce having a part that is arranged in a longitudinally-disposed slot in said notchedleafclamping member. a

4. A loose leaf binder, comprising leafclamping members, a post earned by one of sa1d leaf-clamping members,'a notch in the other leaf-clam in member for receivin the 0 end portion of said post, guides at the opposite sides of the notch in said leafrclamping member, and a lock for said post slidingly mounted on said notched leaf-clamping mem-' her and provided with a substantially tubular portion that is adapted to telescope over said guides. 1 V

5. A loose leaf binder comprising a sheetmetal back provided with integral eyes, a leaf-clamping member provided adjacent one of its edges with notches that form pintles which are adapted to be inserted in said eyes by moving said back and leaf-clamping member longitudinally of each other relatively in one direction, and a part on said back that is adapted to be bent laterally into an opening in the leaf-clamping member to prevent I withdrawal of said pintles from said eyes;

, 6. A loose leaf binder, comprising a back, leaf-clamping members hinged to said back, posts rigidly connected to one of said leafclamping Jmembers and provided with grooved portions, notches in the other leafclamping member arranged so as to receive the grooved portions of said posts,and post locks on said notched leaf-clamping member, the hinges between said back and notched leaf-clamping member being constructed so as to hold said member in a position at substantially right-angles to the back when the binder is open. t

7. A loose leafbinder, comprising a sheetmetal back, sheet-metal leaf-clamping members, hinges for joining said leaf-clamping members to said back formed by integral portions on said elements that are loosely engageable with each other by endwise movement, means for preventing said leaf-clamping members from moving longitudinally relatively to said back after the engagement thereof, posts carried by one of said leaf slidingly mounte clamping members, and locks for said posts don the other leaf-clamping member.

8. A loose leaf binder, comprising a sheet metal back, sheet-metal leaf-clamping members hinges for joining said leaf-clamping members to said back formed by integral portions on said elements that are loosely engageable with each other by endwise move.- ment, means for preventing said leaf-clamping members from moving longitudinally. relatively to said back after the engagement 7 thereof, a post carried by one of said leaf 'member and provided with a substantially channel-shaped portion that embraces said last-named leaf-clamping member, said last named leaf-clamping member being slotted, and a part on said post lock adapted to be bent so as to force it intotli'e slot of said leafolamping member.

ADOLPIHV RUBIN. 

